Suburbs Boy

9 - #GoCrazy

Chad didn't know why he didn't tell her that he knew. He kept it to himself and he kissed her on the cheek when he had arrived at his house after school.

"OMG, Pepper is so annoying." She had sat on his lap.

"Oh yeah?" He had smiled and looked at her face.

Her lying, scheming face.

"She got all up in my face at lunch about some shit and then even though she did that, she still had the audacity to try and steal my reserved seat next to Jordan."

"Jordan?"

"Yeah. My best friend, have you already forgotten?"

Yeah right, best friend.

"No. I was just wondering why your reserved seat wasn't with me."

"Really, Chad?" She stood up. "You never ever eat in the cafeteria. What is wrong with you lately?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry."

"Well, I don't believe you and whatever it is, you need to go and sort it out. Fast. It's affecting my mood. You know what, get out."

"Trish..."

"Out, Suburbs Boy, and come back when you're in your right mind."

He left. He left because he hadn't wanted to come. He left because she made him hate himself. That was it, wasn't it? He thought he had found the one but she didn't even like him enough to stay loyal. Because he wasn't good enough. He was never good enough for anyone. Because he was nothing but a useless, hopeless Suburbs Boy.

And he would never be anything but.

●●●

Chad didn't know how he ended up at the orphanage. One second he was driving out of his maybe-girlfriend's driveway and the next he was standing at the door of a beautifully renovated orphanage.

From the outside, the orphanage looked like a house for someone in Beverly Hills. The lawn was springing with grass and little flowers here and there, there was a pathway leading from the huge white door of the orphanage to the road.

Once he opened the door to the orphanage and walked in, he felt like he was in a whole new world.

The lobby was now an inviting place. The walls were painted lime green and there were cushiony seats arranged from a desk that looked fit for the richest receptionist. This time, it was occupied by a receptionist who smiled at him.

"Hello." The receptionist chirped as he walked over to her.

"Hi, I'm here to see the sister in charge of this orphanage."

"Of course, what's your name please?"

"Chad... Chad Mackenzie."

He saw the receptionist's eyes widen and he wasn't sure whether it was in recognition or appreciation.

"Of course." She picked up a phone next to her and held it to her ear: "Sister Mary, Chad Mackenzie here to see you." She nodded a bit and then smiled at him, dropping the phone : "She'll be right out."

And she was.

"Mr. Chad!" The middle aged nun with white hairs that had been here when he first arrived swooped him in a big hug, smothering him : "Thank you so much for all you've done for us!"

"It wasn't much." He said through breaths.

"Oh, but it was! The children are so happy! Would you like to see them?" She latched onto his hand and then pulled him through a swinging door he hadn't noticed before.

She dragged him to a sort of playroom where little kids ran around playing with toys or nuns. yes, nuns. They spun the kids around and tickled them mercilessly. 

"We've had many new children come in since our upgrade, thanks to you, so we've divided them based on age group. The infants and children under the age of ten stay here and are taken care of by nuns who are still working their way up to our lord." She dragged him out and into another room which a bunch of children were seated in cinema seats watching a movie on a huge cinema screen : "Here, we have the pre - teens under the age of 13. They have the most population so sometimes it's a burden to handle them all. It's the lord's grace." she laughed and then took him to another room before her face looked sad, stressed. The room was full of lazy looking adult like children who tapped away on phones or computers and laptops. Some of them had piercings and tattoos : "Here we have everyone else under the age of 19. We deem our teenagers to be responsible so we've allowed them each a weekly allowance of $500 hence the electronics and deformations. But they've been abusing that responsibility. The strictest nuns are in charge f this bunch... and so is my daughter." She pointed at a girl with long striking purple hair and a lip piercing. "Aberdeen, say hi to the wonderful man who gave us enough to renovate this place."

The girl, who was supposedly named Aberdeen, walked up to him slowly ; "So you're the rich kid who gave away a million dollars with a flick of his fingers."

"Aberdeen..." The sister sounded strained.

"Sorry." She raised up her hands. Her mother smiled and then walked away.

"No, it's fine. It's a relief to have someone be truthful with me, sometimes it's tiring to have suck-ups."

"Suck-ups?" Aberdeen raised her eyebrows : "So all those people who work for you are nothing but suck-ups? Everyone who has ever had any reason to respect you - you don't say -" she mimicked his voice : "Such suck-ups."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"Listen, pretty boy, let the entire world see you as a human being. But I see you for what you really are. When my mother told me what you did, I thought ; 'Who gives away one million dollars... No matter how rich they are? And it came to me... you're trying to make up for something bad that you did. You're trying to put your conscience at rest. Because deep under, you're a bad person... a monster. You don't fool me Suburbs Boy." She walked away.

Chad smiled as the walls began to cave in on him. He walked out of the orphanage and leaned on a lamp post, breathing forcefully. And he realized something. No matter whether true or false. There are always times in life when we all...

#GoCrazy